Specific details regarding the upcoming Xperia Z4 phablet by Sony has been scarce, with the company revealing almost nothing about it. However, leaked renders of the device offer what could be a first look at the upcoming phablet.
The renders were leaked by the Twitter account of OnLeaks, who also manages the French blog Nowhereelse.fr. OnLeaks previously revealed leaked images of the HTC One M9, which turned out to be pretty accurate. Early renders of the LG G4 were also leaked last week, but the accuracy of that and of these Xperia Z4 images remain to be seen.
If the leaked renders of the Xperia Z4 are accurate, the images show that Sony is not going to change the familiar design that the company has been using for its devices, as the Xperia Z4 looks very much like its predecessor, the Xperia Z3.
The very similar design is not such a bad thing, however, as rival company HTC also found success in making almost no changes the design of its flagship One M9 device compared to its previous ones. Sony has been using premium materials in the construction of its devices for a long time, and the similar designs helps in maintaining brand recognition and brand identification for Sony devices.
There are still some changes that Sony made, however, most notable of which would be the slots and buttons on the edge of the Xperia Z4. A slot located on the right side of the Xperia Z3 above the power button, which was dedicated for a microSD card, is no longer there. This could mean that the Xperia Z4 will have no memory expansion features.
The micro USB port has also been moved to the device's bottom, and now without the previously seen flap. This could raise concerns regarding a lower water and dust resistance rating for the device. The flap on the left side of the Xperia Z4 remains, but it looks to be much smaller and could only be for the micro SIM card. The smaller flap can also be the location of a new micro SD card slot if Sony utilized a SIM card and SD card combo tray for the device.
Being 3D renders and not images of actual prototypes of the Xperia Z4, the authenticity of the leaks remains suspect until proven.
A brief appearance by the device last month on the Xperia Lounge app revealed that the Xperia Z4 will have a 2K display. It has also previously been rumored that the Xperia Z4 will pack a quad-core Snapdragon 810 processor.
